Hendrick stable too full for Earnhardt -- right now

The Associated Press

Published Tuesday, May 22, 2007

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Rick Hendrick wasn't lying when he said he has no room on his team for Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Hendrick, the last big-time owner to comment publicly on Earnhardt's free-agent status, has spoken to NASCAR's most popular driver about his future. But with a full stable of drivers under contract, Hendrick didn't have a whole lot to offer.

"I've talked to him about doing motors and cars if he wants to do this himself," Hendrick told The Associated Press. "But that's really all we've discussed.

"Right now, I'm full."

C'mon, Mr. H, are you really claiming there's no room at the inn for a superstar such as Earnhardt?

"There's no room at the inn," he firmly repeated.

He's right. But that doesn't mean things can't change.

Jeff Gordon has a lifetime contract with Hendrick Motorsports, so he's not going anywhere until he retires. With a fifth championship looking very realistic for this season, it doesn't appear Gordon will be turning in his car keys anytime soon.

Jimmie Johnson, the defending Nextel Cup champion, is a car owner's dream and he just signed an extension last season that will keep him in a Hendrick car for a very long time.

So that leaves Kyle Busch and Casey Mears, and conventional wisdom says Mears should be nervous about keeping his cushy Hendrick job.

Mears is having a tough first season with Hendrick and is currently a miserable 35th in the standings. But he was placed with the one team at Hendrick that always has struggled, and walked into a team that was a tad bit behind when he got there in December.

Hendrick made a crew chief change four days before teams reported to Daytona, and it's taking some time for everyone to catch up.

Yes, Mears appears to be the weak link. But it's unfair to judge him after a mere 11 races, and it's doubtful that Hendrick is doing that.

Busch, on the other hand, has had plenty of time to be judged.

Although Busch is under contract through 2008 and Hendrick previously said he's working on an extension, the car owner perhaps should reconsider.

Busch is an excellent driver. He made the Chase for the championship last season, has four career victories and is currently 11th in the points.

But the 22-year-old has made three significant missteps this season that raise questions if the talent is worth the headaches.

Consider:

After winning the first Car of Tomorrow race at Bristol in March, Busch came off as a spoiled brat when he ripped the car and repeatedly said it "sucked" during his nationally televised Victory Lane interview. When Busch continued the rant in his post-race news conference, Hendrick sat silently next to him, lips pursed and clearly uncomfortable.

Busch left the track without telling his crew after wrecking in Texas last month. When the team patched up the car to get back on the track for valuable points, Busch was nowhere to be found and they grabbed Earnhardt -- of all people! -- to finish out the race.

He wrecked his older brother, Kurt, in Saturday night's All-Star race, then gave Kurt the opportunity to be the model of decorum. While Kyle stewed inside his hauler after the accident, Kurt gave a somewhat humorous interview and delivered the line of the race when he said, "I'm not eating any Kellogg's any time soon," in reference to Kyle's sponsor.

The incident spoke volumes to how far Kurt Busch has come. Always a bit quirky, he's made significant strides since joining Penske Racing last season. When he's not trying so hard to be liked, or butchering the English language in an attempt to sound smart, Kurt Busch can be kind of cool.

Kyle Busch? Not so much.

When he first was signed by Hendrick to drive the No. 5 Chevrolet, Kyle Busch vowed to use everything he'd seen his brother struggle through as a lesson on what not to do. He's instead done just the opposite.

He comes off as arrogant and entitled, and veterans repeatedly gripe Busch never wants to listen to their advice. Two-time champion Tony Stewart felt like he was talking to a wall when he tried to counsel Busch after their 2006 tangles.

And after Busch and Mears had issues last season, Busch immaturely said he didn't know how to get in touch with Mears to discuss it.

Never mind that these guys live inches apart in the motorhome lot 38 weekends a year.

Hendrick is a patient man who can put up with an awful lot. And there's no reason to believe that enough time in the Hendrick organization won't eventually make Busch grow up and start behaving the way a good Hendrick driver is expected to.

But with Dale Earnhardt Jr. sitting on the open market, wanting desperately to fit in with an organization committed to helping him win championships, one has to wonder if Hendrick should take a long hard look at making it happen.